"Maybe I will see you in a few years and you will certainly have a European league over the weekends", Wenger said.

The long-serving French manager will leave the club at the end of the season after 22 years in charge after what has been a poor season for Arsenal.

Wenger added: "If the team has one or two good away results they will play for the Premier League".

The alertness and speed with which his great Arsenal sides played - the 1997/98 side, the 2001/02 team, even the 2002/03 group (which really should have won the Premiership title) - played football that seemed otherworldly. "We know we have the quality to create and score goals, which we did, but their second goal killed the game". But the Emirates will stand as a large part of Wenger's legacy as he was instrumental in helping the club build their shiny new 60,000-seater home. His hand was so cold it felt like he had frost bite but I realised that I'd just high-fived a living legend.

With the club's performance in the Premier League becoming increasingly disappointing, this season marked the first time in 20 years that they failed to qualify for the Champions League. "I will try to do my job until the last minute I work here, and then think about the future. But I'm slowly understanding that it finishes, so I'm adapting now", he said, adding that his focus is still squarely on his work. The outgoing Arsenal boss believes Europe's elite clubs will fight for the introduction of a continental, weekend league to challenge the success of the English top flight. But you reluctantly take those, because it makes the joyous times so much sweeter.

"That is basically what I tried to do: to give people an experience in life that is not every day. As a professional, a person and the way he approached and also for the club and especially for football and I think everybody in football should thank him for everything he did".